Rewind
by Gargantua
Summary: A collection of vignettes, scenes, and drabbles that rewrite bits and pieces of Season 4 finale. Because fanfiction is cheaper than therapy, and sometimes what should happen and what does happen are entirely different things. COMPLETE
1. Take 1 Her Mother's Daughter

**Title:** Rewind

**Summary:** A collection of vignettes, scenes, and drabbles that rewrite bits and pieces of Season 4 finale. Because fanfiction is cheaper than therapy, and sometimes what _should_ happen and what _does_ happen are entirely different things.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Take 1 – Her Mother's Daughter**

"Hold on, this is the parallel universe, right?" she asked, not wanting to trust her senses.

Rose couldn't believe her eyes. She was standing on that horrible beach she remembered so vividly from a year ago. He had to know that she spent the past year searching for ways to return to him, just like he had to know that the year she spent away from his side was a far cry from fantastic. Her heart had broken on this beach one year ago. Surely he was not so cruel as to leave without her once more.

"You're back home," said the Doctor.

Those three words nearly crushed her. She could see his intent written plainly on his face, and tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. He was going to do it. He was going to leave her behind again, as if her struggles to reach him from an alternate universe meant nothing; as if her love was something easily cast aside.

Anger, red and hot surged in her veins and she leveled a glare at the Doctor. Hands propped themselves on her hips as she squared off with him preparing to fight.

"You are _not_ leaving me behind," she said, her tone low and dangerous.

"Rose-" the Doctor started.

She rode over his explanations and excuses, not wanting to hear his justification. "No!" she yelled. "I did not just cross dimensions to get back to you so you could dump me on this beach." Her hands moved from her hips and tightened into fists. "My home is in the TARDIS with you!"

"But Rose-" the Doctor said, obviously trying to placate and persuade.

"Mum!" Rose shouted. "The Doctor is being a git. Go smack him!"

The Doctor paled visibly and looked over at Jackie. The expression on Jackie's face was enough to make him step back, his arms waving in front of him defensively.

"Now, now," said Donna, moving in front of the Doctor. "There's no need for that."

"What she said," offered the Doctor, hiding behind Donna while trying to appear as if that was not exactly what he was doing. "Listen to Donna."

Donna looked at Rose and then smiled at her like a conspirator. "This one's on me."

CRACK!!

The sound of her hand connecting with the Doctor's cheek reverberated in the salty air. A deep silence followed.

For a moment.

And then there was the faint sound of a decidedly male chuckle. This was soon followed by another loud crack.

"Mum!" said Rose, unsure whether to be horrified or smug.

"What?" asked Jackie. "You said to smack the Doctor, and he," she gestured vaguely to the Doctor in the blue suit "is the Doctor." Jackie paused, and then added, "Isn't he?"

Rose eyed both Doctors critically. Same looks, same expressions of horror at being smacked, same hands massaging the same injured cheeks. On the face of it, the only difference was the color each was wearing.

She turned back to the Doctor in brown. The one she knew for sure was hers. "I dunno," she said nastily, "is he?"


	2. Take 2 We all Thought It

**Title:** Rewind

**Summary:** A collection of vignettes, scenes, and drabbles that rewrite bits and pieces of Season 4 finale. Because fanfiction is cheaper than therapy, and sometimes what _should_ happen and what _does_ happen are entirely different things.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Take 2 – We All Thought It**

Rose was nearing the point of desperation. Two Doctors, the same yet different, but both were trying to take away her choice. They wanted to force her to stay with the new one in Pete's world and were doing their best to convince her that that was what she wanted as well. Rose was far from convinced, but she had to act fast. Once the one she wanted eluded her grasp she would be stuck here without a choice…again.

"All right. Both of you, answer me this. When I last stood on this beach on the worst day of my life… what was the last thing you said to me?"

Rose looked at the Doctor in brown, the one she was certain was her Doctor.

"Go on," she encouraged, "say it."

"I said, "Rose Tyler".

Rose resisted the impulse to roll her eyes. Bloody stupid stubborn Time Lord bastard. He knew what she was asking, but had decided to be difficult.

"Yeah, and how was that sentence going to end?" she pushed.

He really looked at her then, and she could see the words she wanted to hear so badly shining in his eyes. She was sure that this time he would say it, and she would go off with him into the TARDIS and they would have adventures till the end of time…

"Does it need saying?" he asked.

Rose almost couldn't believe her ears. She had been so sure he was going to let her know how he felt. Just three little words. That was all! With his extensive vocabulary and talkative nature surely those three little words would present no challenge to him whatsoever.

OK, sure, saying those words was probably not something they did among his tight-laced, could-stick-coal-up-their-asses-and-get-diamonds people, and she had to admit that he possessed the emotional maturity of a jellyfish, but he knew she was human. This was how humans expressed themselves. He'd been around them long enough to learn that. So why was he being so pig-headed?!

In the end, Rose shouted the only reply she could.

"YES, it bloody well does!"


	3. Take 3 Fool's Choice

**Title:** Rewind

**Summary:** A collection of vignettes, scenes, and drabbles that rewrite bits and pieces of Season 4 finale. Because fanfiction is cheaper than therapy, and sometimes what _should_ happen and what _does_ happen are entirely different things.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Take 3 – Fool's Choice**

They stood together, hand in hand, staring at the indentation on the beach where the TARDIS had rested moments before. They watched in silence as the churning sea washed over the only evidence that the Doctor, the other Doctor, had really been there. That their adventure had been a reality, not a dream, and that he had, once again, left Rose behind.

Soon even that slight trace would be gone, and for some reason she could not explain to herself, Rose needed to see it go. It was suddenly very important that someone who understood its significance watch it fade from the present into the past. So she watched, silent, holding the hand of the one who was and was not her Doctor.

Perhaps it was the soothing motion of the sea, or the bracing breeze, the feel of a very warm, very real Doctor standing beside her, or the fading wheeze of time that still rung in her ears. Whatever it was, Rose was suddenly engulfed by a feeling of calm, an inner stillness through which she could feel the earth move and hear the beautiful and eternal refrains of an ancient song.

Somehow, she knew within every fiber of her being that this was not the end. On the contrary, this journey was just beginning, and somewhere amidst the vast web of space and time, she would see him again. The thought made her smile.

"You know," she said, her voice soft and certain as she stared at the vestiges of the TARDIS indentation in the sand, "when we see him again, I think I'll break his nose for this. 'Cause somehow a good smack doesn't seem enough."

The Doctor started. They had been encompassed in silence for so long, that to hear her speak with such conviction took him aback. "Ah," he stuttered, "I doubt we shall see him again."

She looked at him and flashed him a wolfish smile. "Oh, we will," she assured him.

He noticed it then, the slight golden flecks in her deep brown eyes that swirled in time with a melody he could not hear, the faint sheen about her hair he had attributed to the reflected light of the sun, the deep and yawning pull of time that drew him inexorably into her embrace each time he touched her skin.

He noticed and mentally kicked his other self for being so unobservant. If his suspicions were founded, then the other Doctor had just made a glaring error in judgment.

Still, one man's loss was another man's gain.

He squeezed her hand and watched the sea swallow the last traces of their old life.

"In that case," he said, flashing Rose a smile, "Rose Tyler, are you ready to run?"


	4. Take 4 Hungry Like The Wolf

**Title:** Rewind

**Summary:** A collection of vignettes, scenes, and drabbles that rewrite bits and pieces of Season 4 finale. Because fanfiction is cheaper than therapy, and sometimes what _should_ happen and what _does_ happen are entirely different things.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Take 4 – Hungry Like the Wolf**

She hears the faint refrains of the siren song as soon as she steps into the TARDIS, but all of her focus is on the injured Doctor and she pays it no heed. She helps lay him down upon the metal grating, and does her best to comfort him. She cradles him to her, hands shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She knows it is inevitable, that he is powerless to stop it. She has seen it happen once before, after all. That does not stop her from pleading with him, begging him to stop the cycle, asking him not to change again. She has broken in two versions of him so far; she is not sure her heart is up to the challenge of breaking in a third.

Jack comes forward and tries to wrest her away, telling her all the things she knows but does not want to accept. She struggles against him, pushing him away. She has traveled so far to be with the Doctor, surely there is something…

It is then that she pays attention. The song, the lullaby that has been serenading her ever since she stepped foot in the TARDIS is telling her what to do. Telling her that this is the reason she is back.

She gives Jack a violent shove. "Jack! I know what to do," she yells.

Neither the Doctor nor Jack believes her, but Donna does. Donna, who hears the sound of heartbeats but does not know what it means. "Oi. Leave her be."

Surprisingly, Jack listens and moves to the side.

Rose spares a wan smile for Donna, then turns her attention solely to the Doctor. He is protesting and struggling as much as he is able. She runs her fingers through his hair and brings him even more fully into her embrace.

"Ssshhh," she says softly. "I think you need me."

She kisses him then, her lips gently pressing against his own. He tastes of death and ash, sorrow and regret, but beyond that she tastes time. The slight tang awakens a ravenous hunger she has not been aware of before. Her eyes widen with the discovery before closing once again.

It takes an extraordinary amount of will to not plunder the depths of his mouth and drain him dry of the energy her body is now screaming for. Cut off from the TARDIS and the time vortex for over a year has left her near starving, and her instincts are howling.

He continues to struggle against her, certain that she is sacrificing herself for him once again. His struggle is counterproductive, making it harder for her to keep tight reign over the beast that even now howls with hunger. Smoothly and quickly she shifts, straddling him, thighs pinning thighs, knees pinning hands, hands holding his head still. Once she is in place, he explodes with vortex and regeneration energy, bathing them both in swirling golden light.

Still with her lips sealed to his, she concentrates. She feels all of what makes him the Doctor – cells, molecules, DNA, atoms. The energy pours through him and she can see each cell repairing one by one. She waits until they are all repaired and the energy shifts to change him into someone else. In that split second, she pulls.

Like recognizes like and the two energies pour into her. She uses her tongue to force the Doctor's mouth open wider and releases the tight hold she has on the beast. She devours the vortex, its taste sweeter than anything she has ever experienced. As it rushes inside her she feels it filling the gaping holes in her soul that make her feel as if she does not fit within her own skin. Finally, she is whole.

The regeneration energy flows into her on the heels of the vortex, and it needs to be put to use. She makes a slight change to her molecules there, adds a few extra cells to her body there. She takes his blueprint and adapts it into something that is uniquely her. Not quite human, not Gallifreyan, but wholly and completely Wolf.

She continues to ravage his mouth, sucking the energy out of him until there is no more energy for her to consume despite her desperate pulls. Finally, she gathers herself and sits back. She runs the sleeve of her jacket over her mouth to wipe away the vestiges of her meal.

The Doctor sits up immediately, his hands on her shoulders. "Rose, no! Humans aren't made to hold that kind of energy. You know that! You'll burn!"

He shakes her hard even as she laughs. "Why did you do that? You'll burn! You're… not burning. Why aren't you burning?" His grip eases, but his intense glare still bores into her. "What have you done?"

Rose pushes herself to her feet and gives him a predatory smile, her eyes twinkling with a victorious glow. "I came home."


	5. Take 5 A New Adventure

**Take 5 – A New Adventure **

The Doctor stood next to Rose, holding her hand as they both stared at the empty space the TARDIS left behind. This new, new, new Doctor hoped his presence was comforting. He suspected he wasn't her first choice, but he was still the Doctor, and he desperately wanted that to count for something.

Silence wrapped its tendrils around them, and he was content to let the quiet reign. They both needed to let their disjointed thoughts settle. But as he waited (rather patiently he thought) for Rose to give him a sign, he became aware of an uncomfortable pressure in his hand.

He glanced down to where they were joined and could see the visible signs of the tension that ran through her body. Her knuckles were white, her arm rigid, and as he stared, the pressure on his hand turned from uncomfortable to outright painful. He tried to remain stoic; this was Rose after all, and if she needed to vent by squeezing his hand to a pulp he would let her, but new human nerve endings proved too sensitive. He winced as his knees buckled and one plaintive word escaped him.

"Rose," he whined, raising the other hand to pry the injured one from her hardened and unmerciful grip.

Her head whipped round to look at him and he noted with a gulp of fear her narrowed eyes and the fire that burned behind them. She dropped his hand as if it burned. He tried to brush away his hurt as he cradled the injured limb to his chest.

Suddenly, Rose lunged forward. She pushed him backward and he landed with an ungraceful thump on his hind end in the sand.

"Oi!" he shouted. "What's the big idea?"

Too late he saw the fire in her eyes.

"You left me! Again!" she screamed. "You just waltzed back into your bleedin' time ship and LEFT ME on this damn beach! AGAIN!"

Angry tears streamed down her face. Once upon a time, the man he used to be would have leapt up from the sand and enclosed her tightly in his arms. He would have held her close until the tears ceased and then done something silly to get her to laugh again. He was no longer that man.

"I did not!" he shouted indignantly, climbing to his feet. The pain in his hand was forgotten in the surge of his own anger. He gesticulated wildly to emphasize his point. "I'm standing right here!"

Rose made a choking noise, as if there was suddenly not enough air. It took her a minute to reply. "I know!" she yelled back. "But _he_ didn't stay still long enough for me to yell at him!" She paused, then pointed at him. "And you ARE him!"

Understanding rushed through him, and it took his breath away. Did he, the other one, really make her feel as if he would always abandon her? The realization strengthened his resolve.

"Yes," he said, "I am him. But I am here. And I'm not going anywhere."

Rose lifted her hands and covered her face. He still heard her cries, but between sobs he could just make out her whispered fear. "For how long?"

Two large strides and he had his arms around her holding on as tightly as possible. "Rose, look at me," he commanded. When she didn't respond he reached up and gently pulled her hands away from her face. When he looked deeply into her brown eyes, he said, "I will stay for as long as you will have me. I promise."

She read something in his eyes then, something that gave her some confidence in him that she did not have before. "Forever?" she asked tremulously.

He gave a little smile. "Forever." He said emphatically.

Rose gave a choked laugh, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He smiled back, then with her still in his arms, made a great show of looking left, then right, even though the only company they had on the beach was Jackie.

Satisfied that no one was around, he brought his head close to her ear. "Rose Tyler," he said secretly, "I've done something very naughty."

Rose gave another choked laugh and wiped her damp eyes with her fingers. "When aren't you naughty?"

"Oi!" he said indignantly. They both knew it was farce; his eyes twinkled with merriment.

Rose relented with a sigh. "All right, Doctor. What have you gone and done now?"

With a delighted grin, the Doctor shoved a hand into his jacket pocket. He rooted around for a moment before producing what appeared to be a piece of coral. Puffing out his chest with pride, he presented the item to Rose.

She extended a finger and touched the roseate material. Her eyes widened with wonder when it hummed beneath her touch. Turning wondering eyes to the Doctor, she asked, "What is it?"

"This," he said with excitement, "is a piece of the TARDIS. She gave me permission to nick it while the Git was saying goodbyes on the other Earth."

Rose smiled back at him sadly. "Well," she said softly, not understanding his excitement, "it was nice of her to let us have a souvenir."

"Souvenir?" The Doctor was incredulous. "No, no! Rose, don't you know what this means? We can grow our own TARDIS!"

She took the piece of coral from him and cupped it gently in the palm of her hands. Smiling brilliantly, she looked at him. "Grow our own TARDIS? From this?"

The Doctor nodded so hard he nearly gave himself whiplash. "Oh yes! It will be fantastic!" He gingerly took the piece from her and returned it to his pocket. "It will be a challenge, of course. We will have to scrounge around for the needed materials and make adjustments in order to create the right environment for her to grow. It would help if I had my sonic screwdriver, but the Git never took it out of his pocket so I didn't have the chance to swipe it. And even though we are the same person, I hardly think he would take kindly to me feeling him up, so… Rose?"

Bouncing up and down on her toes, Rose was nearly bursting with excitement. Her tongue peeked out from between her teeth, and when she was certain she had his attention she said, "Oh Doctor, I've been terribly naughty."

The Doctor sucked in sharp breath. "You mean, you –?"

"Ah, no," she said quickly. "I didn't pick his pockets. But I do have this." Mimicking the actions the Doctor had made earlier, she rooted around in her jacket pocket. Clasped tightly within her fingers was a long black cylindrical object.

His face lit up with happiness. "The sonic pen! That's brilliant! But how did you -?"

Rose looked sheepish. "I know I wasn't supposed to bring things across the void, but when I heard this buzzing in the rubbish bin, I just had to take it. Mickey helped me figure out what it was, and once he did, I've carried it with me always."

"Always?"

"Well, yeah," she said, squirming with discomfort. "It was almost like having you near me, and –"

The rest of her sentence was swallowed by the warm lips of the Doctor as he grabbed her in a passionate embrace. The situation might not be perfect, but the Doctor and Rose were together, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

So swept up in the emotions that churned around and through them, they forgot they were not the only two people in the universe.

Jackie cleared her throat loudly. "For cryin' out loud! Can't the two of you even wait till we get off this bloody beach?"


End file.
